Patriots receiver Randy Moss isn’t happy about the hit on quarterback Tom Brady, which could knock Brady out for the entire 2008 season.

“I don’t really want to get into it, but me personally, I think it was dirty,” Moss said, according to Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe.  “Like I said, I didn’t really see anything; I was running down the field.  When I came back in [and watched it], it looked dirty to me.  I’ve never been a dirty player.  I honestly don’t even know how to play dirty.  I just play the game.  Any time you see something like that, that looks foul, it looks dirty, it opens your eyes.  So, me personally, it looked dirty.”

The Chiefs player who delivered the hit, safety Bernard Pollard, disagrees.

“The play was not intentional,” Pollard said.  “People can call me a dirty player, you can call me whatever you want to call me, it’s not a dirty play.  When you have 230 pounds on your back, and you’re trying to go forward, things will happen.  I saw the ball was still in his hands and I tried to get to him.  I tried to get up and get to him.  But I couldn’t get up, so I just tried to grab him.  It was not an intentional play.”

Pollard also addressed what happened after the play.

“All I heard was him scream and yell.  When I heard him scream and yell, I knew something was wrong.  That [stinks], because he’s a great player.  He really is.  He’s a top-notch guy.  I’ve never really personally talked to him, but from seeing his interviews and everything else. . . .  I’m sorry and that’s immediately what I said afterward.  I went to my coach and let him know – ‘Coach, this was not intentional.’ Coach said ‘I know, I saw.’  My coach knows me and my teammates know me.  I’ve never been a player like that, never been tagged as a player like that ever.”

Though there’s no official word on the status of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, several members of the team the Pats play next think he has a torn ACL.

“Everybody I talked to said it’s a torn ACL,” an unnaned Jets player told Tom Curran of NBCSports.com.  ”Players AND coaches.  When we came in here that’s what people were saying, ‘Brady’s got a torn ACL.’”

Said coach Bill Belichick after Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Chiefs:   ”I don’t have any update on Tom.  They’re looking at him, doing some tests on him.  I don’t have any information yet.  Not that anybody would be interested in that.”

UPDATE:  In response to a question in the comments about what this means, if it’s a torn ACL, Brady likely will miss the rest of the season.  In 1995, Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson suffered a torn ACL and returned to play in the Super Bowl.  But, for most players, it means what another commenter has suggested — Brady is “donezo.”

After catching a 35-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Browns, Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens lined up at the goal line as if he was preparing to run the 100-yard dash.

Before the gun could sound, the yellow flag was flying.

The premeditated celebration resulted in a 15-yard penalty, and a chant of “asshole” from the Browns fans.

Sure, it’s cute and funny and engaging.  But with the Cowboys kicking off to a potent Cleveland offense from the 15, it also was stupid.

Dallas leads, 14-7.  Quarterback Tony Romo has completed his first eight passes.

Receiver Donte’ Stallworth, a newcomer to Cleveland who could flourish when defenses focus on guys like Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, has yet to make his debut for the Browns.

Per Pam Oliver of FOX, Stallworth injured a groin during pregame warmups.

The training staff is working on him, in the hopes that he’ll be able to play.

The Browns trail the Cowboys, 7-0.  The action can be followed at the Game Center on NFL.com.

The New England Patriots won their first game without Tom Brady.  But it wasn’t easy.

Playing arguably once of the worst teams in the league, the Pats needed to withstand four cracks at the end zone by the Chiefs in the waning moments.

Trailing by seven, Chiefs backup quarterback Damon Huard found Devard Darling for a catch-and-run that ended at New England’s five.  From there, the Chiefs could get no closer.

And so the Pats escaped with the win, 17-10. 

If Brady is out for more than today, it won’t get any easier next week when the Patriots travel to New York to face their arch-rivals, the Jets. 

Matt Cassel completed 13 of 18 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.  Randy Moss caught six passes for 116 yards and a score.  Sammy Morris and Laurence Maroney split carries, each getting ten.  Morris gained 53 and scored a touchdown; Maroney gained 51.  Morris also added five catches for 34 yards.

As Emmitt Smith said on Sunday, the Giants provided the “bootprint” for playing the Patriots:  Hit Tom Brady, early and often and with significant force.

The Chiefs did just that early in Sunday’s regular-season opener, and sent shock waves throughout the league.

Brady was hit low by safety Bernard Pollard, buckling Brady’s knee — as this photo of the hit from ESPN.com illustrates.

Every so often, there’s a significant injury in Week One that changes the landscape of the season dramatically.  In 1997, it was a torn ACL for Jerry Rice, courtesy of Warren Sapp.  In 1999, it was a busted Achilles for Vinny Testaverde, courtesy of the green cement that used to cover the field at Giants Stadium.  Remember Keyshawn Johnson’s post-game podium-pounding tantrum?

(There might be others.  PFT Planet, feel free to refresh our memories.)

If Brady is out for the year, it would be the biggest opening-day season-ender in league history. And it significantly would open up the competition in the AFC.

Here are the inactive players for Sunday’s game between the Panthers and the Chargers, as announced by the Chargers:

Chargers:  QB Charlie Whitehurst (third quarterback), CB DeJuan Tribble, LB Anthony Waters, C Nick Hardwick, T Marcus McNeill, WR Buster Davis, TE Kris Wilson, DT Brandon McKinney.

Panthers: QB Matt Moore, WR Ryne Robinson, S C.J. Wilson, LB James Anderson, LB Donte Curry, G Mackenzy Bernadeau, DE Hilee Taylor, T Frank Omiyale.

The Houston Texans are a team that some think could do great things in 2008.

They still might, but they aren’t today.

The Steelers lead the Texans early, 21-0.  Pittsburgh just scored on a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward, which followed a sweet one-handed interception from linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who seems destined to become the next great defensive force in the ‘Burgh.

The action can be followed right here, courtesy of NFL.com.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports that 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has a fracture of the coracoid process.

It’s a bone in the shoulder that, per Barrows, rarely is broken.  It’s typically corrected via surgery and the insertion of pins.

The fracture is usually associated with severe trauma.  But Smith was injured while merely throwing the ball.

Doctors are speculating that Smith might have had a pre-existing stress fracture, which gave way during the throw.

Every year, the Detroit Lions are predicted by many to be on the right path, for a change.

And, every year, the Lions prove that they aren’t.

The Lions are losing 21-0 to the Falcons, who were one of the worst teams in the league last year.  And free-agent tailback Michael Turner already has scored two touchdowns.

Turner has gained 117 yards on seven carries.

Pats quarterback Tom Brady limped off with help on the last play of the Patriots’ second drive on Sunday against the Chiefs.

Brady completed a pass to receiver Randy Moss, who fumbled after a 28-yard gain.  The Chiefs recovered.

Stay tuned.  Matt Cassel is warming up.

UPDATE:  Cassel is playing.  Brady’s return is questionable.  (Just like the Pats’ chances if Brady is out for any significant period of time.)

SECOND UPDATE:  And, of course, Cassel led the Pats to seven points on his first drive, throwing a touchdown pass to Randy Moss.

The Jets have taken the early lead in Miami, thanks to a 56-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Favre to receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

The pass came on the first play of the Jets’ second drive.  Favre sold a play-action fake beautifully, then delivered an arcing spiral to the end zone.

The action can be followed on NFL.com’s Game Center, right here.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported during Sunday NFL Countdown that the NFL prohibited receiver Chad Johnson from donning “Ocho Cinco” on his jersey because of a potential financial dispute with Reebok.

And, frankly, Reebok’s obsession over the possibility that some jerseys with outdated names and/or numbers might have to be sold at a deep discount (or, God forbid, donated to charity) could be undermining whatever goodwill is being derived from the company’s role as the league’s official uniform supplier.

Just this week, Reebok didn’t want to allow Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers ro change his number from 58 to 55 until Rivers bought $11,000 in unsold jerseys bearing No. 58.  Also, Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith was told he couldn’t switch from No. 34 to No. 24.

Apparently, Reebok doesn’t want to keep the NFL contract.  Because we can guarantee that, once the ability to slap logos on shirts and pants and gloves and jock straps comes up for bid again, Nike and UnderArmour will be glad to include a term that they won’t piss and/or moan over unsold jerseys that probably cost a lot less to make than their retail price reflects.

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, has introduced himself to the NFL with a 62-yard touchdown pass to receiver Michael Jenkins.

The Falcons lead the Lions in Atlanta, 7-0.

The game can be followed via the indispensable NFL.com Game Center.

Even though Chad Johnson has changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco (technicaly, it’s “Ochocinco“), the Bengals have announced that the name “Ocho Cinco” won’t be seen on the football field on Sunday in Baltimore.

Here’s the official statement from the team:  “While the NFL has recognized the legal name change of Chad Johnson to Chad Ocho Cinco, the league informed the Bengals today that certain issues remain to be resolved before Ocho Cinco will be permitted to wear his new surname on his jersey.  He will wear the name Johnson on his jersey today and will be referred to as Chad Johnson on the official play-by-play sheet.  Further questions should be directed to the league office.”

Possible translation? The NFL recognizes (as do we) that this creates a horrible precedent, and that the league isn’t ready to risk opening Pandora’s box by letting any Tom, Dick, or Chad change his name whenever he feels like it.

Or whenever someone pays him enough to do it.  And we guarantee that this will be the next step.

For the past several months, we’ve heard grumblings and, at times, shouts from media and league insiders who believe that NBC should not allow Keith Olbermann to appear on Football Night In America, given Olbermann’s P.T. Barnum-style development into the left’s answer to O’Reilly and Limbaugh.

Now, Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News makes the case for Olbermann’s exit from the show.  At least for now, while the presidential campaign is reaching full stride.

“The haters who watch ‘Football Night In America’ won’t relate to Olbermann as just another schlub voicing over highlights,” Raissman writes.  “They may even tune out in disgust.  Guess NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol does not care about losing viewers on an hour-long program that ain’t exactly a ratings juggernaut.

“Even if you subscribe to Olbermann’s political agenda, the following thought might still occur:  Doesn’t he have something more important to do?  Shouldn’t Olbermann be preparing for his interview tomorrow night with Barack Obama rather than providing comprehensive analysis on Chad Johnnson changing his name to Chad Ocho Cinco?”

We agree with Raissman.  Olbermann has morphed over the past year or so into a polarizing personality whose presence on the coverage of anything non-political has officially become a distraction.  We suspect that NBC already has been flooded with complaints regarding Olbermann’s continued role on Football Night, and he fairly should be on the same short leash that applied to Limbaugh five years ago during his short stint with ESPN.

So if Olbermann strays into any political commentary on the show — even if baited into it by that generally unfunny smart-ass Cris Collinsworth — Keith should hear the phrase, “Goodbye . . . and good luck.”

We figure that, with the nine-game clusterfudge only 35 minutes away, we should probably make our official Super Bowl picks.

So that we then can later say how stoopid we were/are/will be.

Then again, by this time next year no one will remember.  (Cough . . . Rams . . . cough.  Fart.)

Though we realize that a lot will happen over the next five months, we’ll stake our already questionable reputation on the Patriots and the Cowboys.

That said, we think that the biggest challenge for the Cowboys will come in their first postseason game, given that they haven’t won a playoff game since 1996 — and given that Tony Romo has coughed up the ball to end each of the last two.

If the ‘Boys can get the monkey off their backs, the sky’s the limit.

From Michael Fabiano of NFL.com, the Week One inactive players for the Texans-Steelers game:

Texans inactives: FS Dominique Barber, LB Xavier Adibi, G Kasey Studdard, OT Rashard Butler, DT Tim Bulman, DE Earl Cochran, DT Frank Okam, DB Eugene Wilson.

Steelers inactives: WR Limas Sweed, S Anthony Smith, RB Gary Russell, TE Sean McHugh, LB Bruce Davis, OT Tony Hunt, DE Orpheus Roye.

Here are the inactive players for the Tampa-New Orleans game, from Michael Fabiano of NFL.com:

Buccaneers inactives: QB Luke McCown (3rd), QB Josh Johnson, RB Michael Bennett, LB Geno Hayes, G Davin Joseph, T James Lee, WR Michael Clayton, DE Greg Peterson.

Saints inactives: WR Robert Meachem, RB Aaron Stecker, CB Usama Young, CB Mike McKenzie, LB Mark Simoneau, LB Troy Evans, T Jermon Bushrod, DT Hollis Thomas.

Here are the inactive players for the Jets-Dolphins game, from Michael Fabiano of NFL.com:

Jets inactives: QB Brett Ratliff (3rd), QB Erik Ainge, WR Marcus Henry, WR David Clowney, CB Justin Miller, LB Kenwin Cummings, OL Robert Turner, DL Kareem Brown.

Dolphins inactives: QB John Beck (3rd), WR Ernest Wilford, CB Michael Lehan, RB Jalen Parmele, G Shawn Murphy, DE Lionel Dotson, T Nate Garner, DE Rodrique Wright.

Here are the inactive players for the Rams-Eagles game, from Michael Fabiano of NFL.com:

Rams inactives: Brock Berlin (3rd), WR Donnie Avery, RB Brian Leonard, S Brannon Condren, LB David Vobora, G Roy Schuening, T John Greco, DE Eric Moore.

Eagles inactives: QB A.J. Feeley (3rd), LB Joe Mays, G Mike Gibson, T Winston Justice, G Mike McGlynn, WR Kevin Curtis, WR Reggie Brown, DE Victor Abiamiri.

Here are the inactive players for the Bengals-Ravens game, from Michael Fabiano of NFL.com:

Bengals inactives: QB Jordan Palmer, FB Reagan Maui’a, S Chinedum Ndukwe, S Corey Lynch, G Frank Davis, WR Andre Caldwell, DT Pat Sims, DT Jason Shirley.

Ravens inactives: OT Willie Anderson, QB Troy Smith, FS Tom Zbikowski, LB Tavares Gooden, OT Oniel Cousins, OT David Hale, WR Marcus Smith, NT Kelly Gregg.

From Michael Fabiano of NFL.com, the inactives for the Lions-Falcons game.

Lions inactives: QB Drew Stanton (3rd), CB Ramzee Robinson, LB Gilbert Gardner, G Manny Ramirez, DT Andre Fluellen, DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, DT Landon Cohen.

Falcons inactives: QB D.J. Shockley (3rd), DB Dominique Foxworth, LB Tony Gilbert, C Alex Stepanovich, DE Simon Fraser, T Quinn Ojinnaka, TE Martrez Milner, DT Jason Jefferson.

Now that we get e-mails from most of the teams whenever there is news to annouce, we’re also getting the lists of inactive players.  Here they are for the Bills and Seahawks.  (We’d make it look prettier, but we’re kind of busy right now.)

Bills:  WR Steve Johnson, CB Reggie Corner, OL Matt Murphy, OL Demetrius Bell, TE Derek Fine, DE Chris Ellis, DT John McCargo, Gibran Hamdan (third quarterback).

Seahawks:  K Brandon Coutu, RB Justin Forsett, G Mansfield Wrotto, T Sean Locklear, WR Deion Branch, WR Bobby Engram, DE Baraka Atkins, Charlie Frye (third quarterback).

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady played last year with a groin injury so severe that it nearly required surgery.

But, alas, Brady’s condition never was disclosed on the team’s injury report.

Meanwhile, his congenital right shoulder injury continued to show up, week after week.

With this year’s Week One injury report, it appears that the Pats are no longer going to pretend that Brady has a right shoulder injury when in fact he doesn’t.

It remains to be seen whether they disclose the injuries he actually has.

This isn’t the first time the Pats have played games with the pre-game injury disclosure.  In the same year that Donovan McNabb of the Eagles played with a sports hernia until he couldn’t play with it any longer, Brady had the same condition.

The difference?  McNabb’s was disclosed by the Eagles; Brady’s wasn’t.

Meanwhile, the league only rarely raps the knuckles of teams that take liberties with the injury reports.  Thus, to the extent that reporting injuries is aimed at keeping gamblers from thinking that they can get inside information by slipping to the guy who scrubs Vince Wilfork’s personal crapper for minimum wage an envelope full of twenties, the reality is that there’s still a benefit to chasing the true facts, because the true facts aren’t showing up where they’re supposed to be.

Former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander tells Chris Mortensen of ESPN that he’s in the best shape of his life and that he’s ready to play football.

Once someone asks him to.

Mort’s summary of his discussion with Alexander sounds a lot different than Alexander’s recent comments to the AP, during which he vowed that he’d sign with a new team soon.

Look, if all of the flowery crap Alexander told Mort about wanting to contribute and being in great shape and not being soft are true, Alexander would have gotten the word out much earlier so that he could come into camp and prove that he’s ready to play again — and not merely ready to get paid again.

UPDATE:  We’ve also tripped across this great quote from Ravens linebacker Bart Scott compared the 2005 MVP to Jamal Lewis.  “Has Shaun Alexander lost a step?” Scott said in December 2007.  ”I think they were saying the same thing about that about a guy like that was once in Baltimore, who’s now having a great season in Cleveland.  I heard that story before.  I’m not buying that piece of cheese.”

We just popped over to the sister site, CollegeFootballTalk.com, which MDS has been capably juggling along with all of his other professional exploits.

And there’s some good stuff there.  So you should check it out.

Right here.

Raiders receiver Javon Walker, listed as questionable with a hamstring strain that might or might be related to the spraying of champagne, plans to attempt to play on Monday night against the Broncos.

Walker practiced on Saturday for the first time since Wednesday.  He was a limited participant.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” coach Lane Kiffin said.  “There’s some risks with it whenever a guy doesn’t practice very much during the week.  There’s the risk of re-injuring it as well, so we’ll look at all of it up to an hour and a half before kickoff.”

Still, Walker sounds optimistic, based on past experiences with injuries that limited him during practice but not on game days.  “I was able to rest early in the week and then kind of jog around on Friday and then go out, know my assignments, and then play on Sunday,” Walker said.  “Sometimes that’s what happens.  I’ve been in that predicament before.”

John Clayton of ESPN reports that Ravens running back Willis McGahee will play on Sunday despite a knee injury, and that he likely will start.

But look for McGahee to share touches with rookie Ray Rice.

Also, Clayton says that running back Jamal Lewis will likely play for the Browns with a hamstring strain.

We’ve previously mentioned that we’ve grown bored of making fun of Emmitt Smith’s grasp (or lack thereof) of the English language.  And we’re committed to not giving him a hard time for periodic conjugational challenges. 

But, when he coins a new phrase, we can’t ignore it.

Moments ago, Emmitt said during an appearance on SportsCenter that the Giants have given the league a “bootprint” for beating the Patriots.

As we get ready to end a seven-month drought with a nine-game deluge, let’s take a quick look at some of the stuff you might want to ponder.

Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist is adding a new dynamic to the site with his scouting reports.

We’ve ranked the players for fantasy purposes.

Preseason Power Rankings are finally done.

The Giants-Redskins game almost put us to sleep.

We made our first weekly appearance on FSN’s Pro Football Preview.

Our first Live Chat debuted on Friday.  (Our favorite moment?  Question:  “What kind of split do you see between LenDale and Chris Johnson this season?”  Answer:  “Banana.”)

Though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Dan Patrick last month that expansion of the regular season would come in 2010 at the earliest, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney suggests that a 17th game could be added as soon as next year.

“It’ll get a full discussion at the March [2009] meeting,” Rooney said.

“We could do it next year.”

Goodell said that extra regular-season games would depend on the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with the union, and also would be tied to broadcast deals that, for the most part, run through 2011.

Rooney seems to think that the league can plow ahead even without a new CBA.

“We pay the players a percentage of the gross.  If the 17th game produces a lot more money, they get their percentage of that,” Rooney said.

“It’s pretty hard for them to complain about it.  I think they would do it because it makes a lot of sense for them.  You would be playing an extra league game, but you’d also get more sponsorship, more concessions.”

Still, labor law most likely would prevent the NFL from adding another regular-season game unilaterally and without the union’s consent.  And if Rooney thinks that the union won’t want a bigger piece of the pie for replacing a fourth preseason game in which starters rarely play with another regular-season game in which they’ll be on the field for most if not all of the game, then Rooney is underestimating the NFLPA.

The return of Saints running back Deuce McAllister from his second torn ACL in three years might be delayed by at least a week.

McAllister, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN, might be inactive on Sunday at home against the Bucs.

The issue could come down to whether Aaron Stecker is able to go with a hamstring injury.  If Stecker can’t go, Deuce will.

As the Seahawks begin the last year of the Mike Holmgren era, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is still recovering from a bulging disc in his back.

Per Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Hasselbeck’s preseason was drastically limited by the condition, but it supposedly was resolved by an injection.

Still, there’s concern that the lack of preseason work might affect Hasselbeck’s overall conditioning.

Jets quarterback Brett Favre told Rachel Nichols of ESPN that he’ll be nervous today as he makes his debut for the New York Jets.

Favre will be making his 254th consecutive start on Sunday.

And he probably should be nervous — if the Jets don’t beat the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, Favre’s frolic in the Big Apple could get off to an 0-3 start.

One thing working against the Jets is that the Dolphins made former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington available, until Thursday, to give anyone on the team any tips about about of Pennington’s former Jets teammates.